New RR test stand opens

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – Rolls-Royce North America today officially opened its second test stand at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center, an investment of $50 million that will mean 35 new jobs when fully operational. SSC is where NASA and commercial companies test rocket engines, but Rolls-Royce opened its first jetliner engine test stand here in 2007. "Our decision to first build, and now expand, the Rolls-Royce Outdoor Jet Engine Test Stand here at Stennis embraces the spirit of partnership with the state of Mississippi," said James M. Guyette, President and CEO of Rolls-Royce North America. "Rolls-Royce is investing in America because our collective innovation, competitiveness and cooperative spirit – and we find the state of Mississippi is the perfect location to expand our operations." The site conducts jet engine testing, including noise, crosswind, endurance and other tests, on the latest and most sophisticated Rolls-Royce civil aircraft engines. That includes the Trent 1000 that powers the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Trent XWB that powers the Airbus A350 XWB. (Source: Business Wire, 10/16/13)